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Ephesians 5:19 says, Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. Paul is contrasting drunkenness with being filled by the Spirit. People who are drunk say all kinds of foolish and inappropriate things. In contrast, praise and worship is what should come from people who are filled with the Spirit.
I believe Paul is talking about communal worship here. We should encourage each other to praise and worship God. It should come from your heart, not just your mouth. Have you been singing in church and realised that your mind was elsewhere (like what you're going to eat for lunch, who else is here, what people are wearing, etc.). If your mind wanders, just bring it back to the lyrics and focus on God, praising him and thanking him for his goodness. Praise and worship is an important part of your Christian life. I have found praise and worship helps lift me out of feelings of being depressed, overwhelmed, angry or sad. It has helped refocus my attention on God, when the world has become too loud and distracting. It has given me peace in the middle of my storms. When can you praise and worship God this week? Either communally at church or small group, or on your own?  The word sing is mentioned 158 times in the New International Version of the Bible, most of them in the Old Testament. There are many other music references beside these. So we know that music and singing are an important part of the Christian life. When Mary found out she was pregnant with the Son of God and visited her friend, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist she sang a song which is recorded in Luke chapter one.
I praise the Lord with all my heart. I am very happy because God is my Savior. I am not important, but he has shown his care for me, his lowly servant. From now until the end of time, people will remember how much God blessed me. Yes, the Powerful One has done great things for me. His name is very holy. He always gives mercy to those who worship him. He reached out his arm and showed his power. He scattered those who are proud and think great things about themselves. He brought down rulers from their thrones and raised up the humble people. He filled the hungry with good things, but he sent the rich away with nothing. God has helped Israel—the people he chose to serve him. He did not forget his promise to give us his mercy. He has done what he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever. Luke 1:46-55 (ERV) Psalm 96:1 encourages us to sing a new song to God. Anyone can write a song - it doesn't have to rhyme or sound poetic. Why don't you write a song to God, thanking and praising him for all the good things he has done for you? There's some really good stuff in this video including what happens in your brain when you worship.  Worship is not a style of music or song. It doesn't just happen at church on a Sunday. According to Tim Lucas at https://worshipdeeper.com, worship is declaring the greatness of someone or something. Delesslyn A. Kennebrew at www.christianitytoday.com defines worship as the priority we place on who God is in our lives and where God is on our list of priorities. So basically, worshipping God is making him our number one priority. It starts with an attitude and flows to our actions. If we really love God with all our body, soul, strength and mind we will live a life devoted to him. How we spend our time and money, what occupies our thoughts and attention, what we consume will all reflect this. We will worship him with our songs, with our financial offerings, by spending time reading his word and talking to him in prayer, we will worship him by serving others.
If God isn't your number one priority, something else will be. Money, fame, success, self, music, entertainment, sport, looks, alcohol, drugs or another person will fill that spot. God said that we are to worship him only - and that shouldn't do that out of fear, but out of love. CHALLENGE: What is your number one priority? Does how you spend your time or money reflect that?  Image courtesy of https://mounties.org.au Dancing is one way to worship God. Psalm 149:3 says, Praise his name by dancing and playing music on harps and tambourines. Unfortunately most dance classes do not glorify God. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church has a dance group called Soul to Sole which runs weekly classes during the school terms. It is for girls and guys in years 2 to 11 but older teens are welcome to apply as well. They have a free concert on Saturday, 1st December from 6:15pm - 8:30pm at 497 Marmion Street, Booragoon, Western Australia. You can find more details about Soul to Sole here.
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